Plastic support for electrophoresis gels

Abstract

According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a support ( 1, 10 ) for an electrophoretic gel film comprising a first film ( 2 ) having a plurality of lips formed by stamping, the lips forming a plurality of retention points for an electrophoretic gel film to be received on the support. The invention also relates to an electrophoretic element for use in electrophoretic separations, comprising the support according to the first aspect, coated with an electrophoretic gel film, as well as to the use of such an electrophoretic element.

1 . Support ( 1 ,  10 ) for an electrophoretic gel film comprising a first film ( 2 ) having a plurality of lips formed by stamping, the lips forming a plurality of retention points for an electrophoretic gel film to be received on the support. 
     
     
         2 . Support ( 1 ,  10 ) according to  claim 1 , wherein the first film ( 2 ) has at least one region with no lips defining a migration zone. 
     
     
         3 . Support ( 1 ,  10 ) according to  claim 1 , further comprising a second film ( 3 ,  30 ) on the first film and wherein the first and second films are mechanically attached by means of lips ( 4 ,  4 ′) formed by stamping both films ( 2 ;  3 ,  30 ) together. 
     
     
         4 . Support according to  claim 3 , wherein the second film has at least one window ( 7 ,  8 ) defining a migration zone. 
     
     
         5 . Support according to any preceding claims, wherein the aperture ( 8 ) of a lip with respect to the plane formed by the support is comprised between 35° and 40°. 
     
     
         6 . Support for an electrophoretic gel film, comprising a first film, a second film having at least one window defining a migration zone bonded onto the first film, and an adherent coating layer applied to the second film, so that in use when the gel is deposited onto the support, the gel remains covalently attached to the support by means of the chemical agents of the adherent layer on the second film but is not attached to the support in the migration zone. 
     
     
         7 . Support according to  claim 4  or  claim 6 , wherein the second film has a central window ( 7 ) or a plurality of elongated windows ( 8 ). 
     
     
         8 . Support according to  claim 4  or  claim 7 , wherein the second film has a scale ( 9 ) along the at least one window ( 7 ,  8 ). 
     
     
         9 . Support according to any preceding claims, wherein the films are flexible plastic films. 
     
     
         10 . Support according to any preceding claims, wherein the first film ( 2 ) is transparent to ambient light or opaque to UV-blue light. 
     
     
         11 . Electrophoretic element for use in electrophoretic separations, comprising the support ( 1 ,  10 ) according to any one of  claims 1  to  10 , coated with an electrophoretic gel film, for instance an agarose gel film. 
     
     
         12 . Use of the electrophoretic element according to the preceding claim for effecting migration of a biomolecule by electrophoresis.